Some good, old-fashioned police work at its Finest as 14 officers are honored

Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-HammelOn hand for the Cop of the Month ceremony at the Staten Island Advance are, back row: Deputy Inspector John Denesopolis, commander of the North Shore's 120th Precinct; Capt. James Meehan, commander of the South Shore's 123rd Precinct; Assistant Chief Stephen Paragallo, borough commander; and Capt. Richard Gutch, commander of the Mid-Island's 122nd Precinct. In front of them are Officers Richard Ortiz, Eric Pena and Lesly Thevenot. In the second row, officers Daniel Dechirico, Katrina Selkirk, Lee Wittek, Tim Donnelly, Tarell Jefferson and Sgt William Davitt. In the front row are officers Ed Ranieri, Ken McGrane, David Delaney, Kristen White and Jin Tsoi.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- They caught a bank robber, busted up a burglary spree, got guns out of the hands of criminals and, in one instance, prevented a man from killing himself with a shotgun.

Those efforts, all over the course of last year, earned 14 NYPD officers accolades during a "Cop of the Month" ceremony inside the Grasmere office of the Staten Island Advance yesterday afternoon.

"This is probably one of the nicest things I get to do -- honor cops," said Assistant Chief Stephen Paragallo, the borough commander for Staten Island. "As a result of their hard work, these men and women, and the men and women in the precincts, we experienced a 14 percent drop in crime."

Those honored included:

For the month of February, officers Katrina Selkirk and Daniel DeChirico, who, while assigned to the 122nd Precinct, caught the suspect in Feb. 4 bank robbery. The suspect had robbed the Richmond County Savings Bank at 2555 Richmond Ave. and made off with $2,680, but a dye pack exploded, and the officers arrested the dye-stained suspect after spotting him leave a building on Travis Avenue.

For April, Detective Timothy Donnelly of the 122nd Precinct Detective Squad, who used a stolen gift card to track down two suspects in a 22-home burglary spree. The suspects, both career criminals, have since pleaded guilty and are serving lengthy prison terms.

For May, officers David Delaney and Kenneth McGrane, who while assigned to the 120th Precinct's anti-crime team, arrested a man with a gun and cocaine in his car. The two were responding to a call of a dispute with a firearm at Richmond and Forest avenues, and after spotting someone fitting the description of a suspect approach in a car, they stopped the car and found the gun and drugs.

For June, Officer Edward Ranieri, of the Patrol Borough Staten Island Graffiti Unit, who made 10 arrests -- eight of them for graffiti -- that month. Those arrested included a juvenile who covered Staten Island and Brooklyn with his tag, and a 17-year-old who hit several locations across the Island, police said. Ranieri made 87 arrests total in 2009.

For July, Sgt. William Davitt and officers Jin Tsoi and Kristen White, who while assigned to the 120th Precinct, arrested a suspect in connection with a July 25th shooting in front of 181 York Ave. that left three wounded. The trio searched the area, and found the alleged shooter about two hours later.

For September, Officer Lee Wittek, who while assigned to the 122nd Precinct's housing unit, noticed four people lurking around a trash can in front of 791 Manor Rd. on Sept. 17 and moved to investigate. He ended up recovering two loaded guns as a result. Three of the four suspects were arrested at the scene, the fourth was captured three days later.

For October, officers Tarell Jefferson and Lesly Thevenot, who while patrolling in Woodrow in the 123rd Precinct, prevented a suicide. The two were responding to a call on Dexter Avenue, where they encountered a man who, during an argument with his father, had put a shotgun to his chin and threatened suicide. The dad had convinced his son to come up from the basement, where the shotgun was, but when the police arrived, he rushed back downstairs. The officers restrained him before he could reach the shotgun.

For November, officers Eric Pena and Richard Ortiz, who while assigned to anti-crime patrol at the Mariners Harbor Houses and the Arlington Terrace apartments, arrested two heavily armed men just moments after the fatal shooting of convicted drug dealer Jermaine (Big Den) Dickerson on Nov. 7. The two suspects sped away from the scene of the shooting, and Pena and Ortiz gave chase and apprehended them. Police found two loaded guns -- one of which was deemed to be the murder weapon -- and the suspects were wearing bulletproof vests.

Paragallo said the department is also honoring, for the month of December, an undercover officer in a private Cop of the Month ceremony.